5.1. - "The Man I Love"

Yesterday I got a letter from the KBC (SAE 3), containing two important
sheets of paper:

...

The other exciting news is that Kate is on the Larry Adler/Gershwin album
celebrating Larry Adler's 80th Birthday. Kate has already recorded the track THE
MAN I LOVE and although there is no definite release date yet, we understand it
should be available within the next few months. We have had many enquiries
about when "The Line, The Cross & The Curve" will be released on
video - there is no projected relesae date yet but the film has been seen at a
number of film festivals apart from London, including Dublin, Tromso[e] iun
Norway and Berkeley in California. It will be shown at the Belgian film
festival on 23rd March but unfortunately this leaflet will not arrive in time
for that.

News just out from the KBC here is that 'The Man I Love' is indeed to be the
first single that will be released from the Gershwin album. The single will be
released in the UK and Europe on 18th July, with the album to follow on the
25th.

"The Man I Love" is also a legitimate new Kate Bush track. It is
due out in England next week. It's the lead-off single from an album of covers
of Gershwin songs, reportedly to be called "The Glory of Gershwin",
and it was played once at the international Kate Bush convention held in London
a while ago.

IED has heard that Kate Bush fans might want to keep a lookout for a
forthcoming tribute album to Nick Drake, too.

I picked up a copy of the import (from UK) CD single today. Those of you who
haven't heard it yet should run out and buy it. HOWEVER--I was really surprised
to see she shares the bill with Larry Adler--especially if you know anything
about this "expert" of musical public opinion.

Adler is a man who can be put on the same pedestal as Steve Allen and Mitch
Miller when it comes to listing "enemies" of Rock and Roll.

About 25 years ago, on the Dick Cavett show, he gained 15 minutes of fame he
didn't need by saying "the only thing the Beatles will be remembered for
is "Yesterday."

Perhaps he will one day be right, but how many of you reading this had any
idea who Larry Adler was before you read this post or picked up the Kate CD?

And does it bother anyone out there that this Gershwin LP was produced by
George Martin, the Beatles producer? I guess money makes for some strange
bedfellows.

The Glory of Gershwin is currently in the top 20 album list here in
Australia. Kate sings a beautiful 'The Man I Love'. Since I am fond of Gershwin
and of some of the artists on this album, I had to buy it. There are a few
tracks that I found disappointing; Robert Palmer's version of 'I Got Rhythm'
does not work for me, I have a version of 'Rhapsody in Blue' that I much
prefer, I haven't managed to actually listen to all of Courtney Pine's version
of 'Summertime'. I was surprised that I enjoyed Meatloaf's 'Somebody Loves Me',
but I have never listened to Meatloaf much so it might be my fault for having
such a preconceived notion of what he would sound like. Most of the tracks are
quite enjoyable though.

Not only do I now own the album but I have a copy of Kate singing the song
on video. It's done in black and white, and is simply showing Kate singing with
some of the members of the orchestra they had set up for the album. A lucky
capture from the Australia show RAGE which plays a variety of music videos
Saturday and Sunday mornings from 1 to 8 am.

To my utter amazement, I managed to find this CD single in a local record
store (CD singles are a hard thing to come by here.)

I think Kate does a very good job with the song. The style of the song is
not really "her" style, and she could enunciate the words a little
more clearly in places since the words are a big part of the impact of this
particular song, but I liked hearing her sing it.

It's also interesting to hear her produced by someone other than
herself/Del. George Martin makes her sound a lot more warmer and human than her
own production does (play this back to back with Rubberband Girl to get the
effect).

The other two songs on the single are - well, they're mostly the same song
:) "Rhapsody in Blue" in a long and short version. The orchestral
arrangement is wonderful, but much as I respect Larry Adler's playing I have to
say that if the Gershwins wanted a harmonica to carry the lead melody in this
piece they would have written it for harmonica :) The harmonica sounds kind of
lost, futilely squeaking against the big orchestra.

I haven't seen The Glory of Gershwin album itself yet, but I think this
single is worth getting.

Last night's (16 June 1995) Dateline NBC had a profile of expatriate
harmonica virtuoso (and Kate Bush collaborator) Larry Adler. This was either a
repeat or has been in the can a few months. Cher, Jon Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Elton
John and Glory of Gershwin producer George Martin were either seen singing
vocal tracks or otherwise briefly on camera. No Kate sighting--sorry!

It turns out that Adler has had quite a life. As an in-demand backing player
he worked with the best in the biz, including George Gershwin himself in the
30s. After the Second World War he was listed in "Red Channels," the
bogus but powerful tally of alleged Communists in the entertainment industry.
Adler soon found himself without gigs and in exile in England. He was
eventually embraced by the British film industry and scored a number of movies,
most notably the British classic Genevieve (well worth seeing, BTW.)

He's quite a character! Yes, he *did* tell the old tale about his chance
encounter with Al Capone that became a staple of his concert tour. And in an
eerie echo of the past Adler is seen performing on stage with the ghost of his
old friend--a piano programmed to tickle the ivories in perfect synchonization
with George Gershwin's own playing. In all, the segment was well worth seeing
if not exactly a keeper (now, if Kate had been in it... ;-)